RJ Muna
RJ Muna was born in 1954 in San
Francisco. He began his professional career at the age of
16, shooting street demonstrations in Berkeley during the
Vietnam War. Muna began to earn a living from his craft
in 1976 following his graduation from San Jose State University
with a fine arts degree. One of his first clients was IBM.
A year later, Muna opened
his own studio to service the burgeoning high-tech industry
in what became the Silicon Valley. He also shortened his name
from "Raja John" to R.J. The nickname stuck.
During the 1980’s,
Muna’s commercial work exploded and he moved up to San
Francisco and a 12,000-foot studio. A turning point came in
1992 when a Los Angeles art director sought him out to develop
a new image for Lexus. He brought the cars into the studio
and shot them using innovative lighting. More automotive clients
flocked to him. A second turning point arrived when Muna went
digital in the mid-1990’s, and he turned to the computer
for high-resolution retouching. The technology gave him the
freedom to be more adventurous and creative with his images.
His client base expanded
to national and international firms such as Sony, Intel, Panasonic,
and Levi Strauss. He also found inspiration in the world of
dance, and he published a book of fine art photos called "The
Apparitions" and mounted an exhibition of these pictures.
Muna often donates his skill to worthy causes, which affords
him the independence to experiment with new ideas.
Today, Muna can look back
on nearly two decades as a professional photographer, during
which time he established an enviably well-equipped studio
in San Francisco and a name for himself as one of the top
photographers servicing big-time clients such as Nike, Lexus
and Blue Cross/Blue Shield.
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